Average power rating of opponents played: NEW ORLEANS 21.1, ATLANTA 20.8

SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

NEW ORLEANS - Season Results

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Team Stats

Opp Stats

Date

Opponent

Score

SU

Line

ATS

Tot.

O/U

Rushing

Passing

TO

Rushing

Passing

TO

10/15/2017

DETROIT

52-38

W

-5

W

50

O

37-193

21-31-186

3

19-66

25-52-281

5

10/22/2017

@ GREEN BAY

26-17

W

-4

W

45.5

U

36-161

27-38-324

2

24-181

12-25-79

1

10/29/2017

CHICAGO

20-12

W

-7.5

W

46

U

30-101

23-28-286

2

31-157

14-32-150

1

11/5/2017

TAMPA BAY

30-10

W

-7

W

54.5

U

32-151

22-27-256

2

25-87

15-28-113

1

11/12/2017

@ BUFFALO

47-10

W

-2

W

48

O

48-298

18-25-184

1

15-69

16-28-129

1

11/19/2017

WASHINGTON

34-31

W

-9.5

L

52.5

O

23-160

29-41-375

1

33-156

22-32-300

0

11/26/2017

@ LA RAMS

20-26

L

3

L

54

U

17-123

22-32-223

0

25-88

28-44-327

1

12/3/2017

CAROLINA

31-21

W

-6

W

48

O

28-148

25-34-252

1

23-112

17-28-167

1

12/7/2017

@ ATLANTA

12/17/2017

NY JETS

12/24/2017

ATLANTA

12/31/2017

@ TAMPA BAY

ATLANTA - Season Results

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Team Stats

Opp Stats

Date

Opponent

Score

SU

Line

ATS

Tot.

O/U

Rushing

Passing

TO

Rushing

Passing

TO

10/15/2017

MIAMI

17-20

L

-14

L

46

U

19-100

24-35-239

1

31-138

19-33-151

1

10/22/2017

@ NEW ENGLAND

7-23

L

2.5

L

56.5

U

22-120

23-33-223

0

36-162

21-29-241

0

10/29/2017

@ NY JETS

25-20

W

-6.5

L

44

O

32-140

18-29-246

2

22-43

26-33-236

1

11/5/2017

@ CAROLINA

17-20

L

-3

L

42

U

18-53

24-38-302

1

38-201

13-24-129

2

11/12/2017

DALLAS

27-7

W

-3

W

49

U

34-132

22-29-204

1

21-107

20-30-126

2

11/20/2017

@ SEATTLE

34-31

W

1

W

46

O

30-89

19-27-190

1

23-136

27-43-224

2

11/26/2017

TAMPA BAY

34-20

W

-10

W

47

O

28-148

27-36-368

1

23-94

27-44-279

0

12/3/2017

MINNESOTA

9-14

L

-2

L

48

U

22-102

16-29-173

0

31-105

25-30-207

0

12/7/2017

NEW ORLEANS

12/18/2017

@ TAMPA BAY

12/24/2017

@ NEW ORLEANS

12/31/2017

CAROLINA

KEY GAME INFORMATION

NEW ORLEANS: Though he has lost a noticeable amount of arm strength, QB Drew Brees is most prolific when working deep down the middle, where rookie WR Michael Thomas thrived last season. WR Willie Snead is a solid possession receiver, and free agent signee WR Ted Ginn will stretch the defense on deep routes. RBs Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson will lead a power running attack, while Ingram and third-round draft pick Alvin Kamara are assets in the passing game. The Saints' defense has been among the bottom five in points allowed for three-straight seasons. After allowing the second most yards per pass attempt last year, New Orleans drafted CB Marshon Lattimore and S Marcus Williams with their first two draft picks. DE Cameron Jordan was the lone bright spot on defense last season, and 2016 first-rounder DT Sheldon Rankins showed promise after returning from a broken leg.

ATLANTA: The Falcons lost the league's best offensive coordinator in Kyle Shanahan (now the 49ers' head coach), but MVP QB Matt Ryan still has arguably the league's best WR in Julio Jones, and Atlanta got great production from the rest of their receiving group when Jones drew copious defensive attention. Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman might be the NFL's best RB combo: Both are great receivers, patient runners and homerun threats in the open field. Atlanta's defense improved greatly during the course of 2016. Edge-rusher Vic Beasley led the league in sacks, rookies LB Deion Jones and S Keanu Neal matured quickly, CB Robert Alford established himself as a bona fide No. 1 CB and DT Grady Jarrett was simply dominant in the Super Bowl. Newly-acquired DT Dontari Poe is a space-eating run-stuffer, and elite CB Desmond Trufant is back after missing ten games with a shoulder injury.

PREVIEW

Saints, Falcons clash in critical division matchup

It wasn't exactly an epiphany, but the proof is in the results. As the Atlanta Falcons kept winning week after week in 2016 and advanced to the Super Bowl with a quick-strike offense and a speed-demon defense, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton certainly was paying attention.

Payton looked across the line at the Falcons' defense -- deer-footed athletes at every position-- and probably decided the Saints, to avoid being swept by the Falcons as they were in 2016, would have to change course in order to compete for an NFC South title.

That means, if you can't outrun them, run them over.

The 9-3 Saints will travel to Atlanta on Thursday night for a critical divisional test against the 7-5 Falcons -- the first of two games against Atlanta in three weeks -- and the Saints have made the commitment to pound the run to control the clock and remain efficient, allowing Drew Brees to throw when he wants to rather than when he has to.

The backfield tandem of Mark Ingram II and Alvin Kamara has been virtually unstoppable this year, and the two backs accounted for 248 yards from scrimmage in a 31-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Look for the Saints to try to establish the north-south running game again on Thursday night.

"They can run," Payton said of Dan Quinn's defense. "I think that's the one thing on film. They're fast at all the positions. I think (safety Keanu) Neal has played extremely well. I think they rush the passer very well, and if you get into the third down, (you see) a lot of the things that we saw happen in Seattle (when Quinn was the Seahawks defensive coordinator)."

Ingram did not practice Tuesday because of a toe injury, but he is expected to the Falcons. Against an eight-man front last Sunday, Ingram made one man miss at the line of scrimmage and raced 72 yards for the second-longest rushing play of his career.

Ingram, who has gained 922 yards and scored nine touchdowns on 180 carries, said he and Kamara, a third-round draft pick out of Tennessee, are simply doing what they are paid to do -- give the 2017 Saints more balance so that every game does not rise and fall on Brees' right shoulder.

"I felt like it was a possibility if we ran the ball," Ingram said. "I just know the offense is wide open, and it puts us in a primary position to make plays. It's just crazy how it's happening this year. I've been preparing well and the offensive line, receivers, tight ends, fullback (have as well). I still want to be in there more and carry the ball more, but it's working and there's enough touches for both of us."

Kamara has scored in six consecutive games and ranks third in the NFL among running backs with 59 catches. The rookie has 1,220 total yards and 11 touchdowns and is averaging 8.4 yards per touch.

Kamara's biggest play last week was converting a fourth-and-goal gamble from the Carolina 2 into a touchdown by shedding a big hit from linebacker Shaq Thompson -- no easy feat -- to score standing up on the first series of the game.

"It was a (heck) of a run by Alvin Kamara," Saints defensive end Cam Jordan said. "Nine times out of 10, if it had been anyone else, they would have gone down. His balance is amazing. That's really what's separating him from a lot of different running backs."

"The thing that has really jumped out to me -- it's his balance," Quinn added. "I don't know how many missed tackles you can track on a player, but I'd bet he'd have one of the highest (numbers) out there."

The Saints also may get rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore back from a sprained ankle, which would bolster their coverage against Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones. The Saints are yielding just 17.9 points in winning nine of their last 10 games.

A 14-9 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings last week snapped the Falcons' three-game winning streak. The Falcons averaged 27 points in the three wins but were held to three field goals by the Vikings' stout defense.

Atlanta cornerback Desmond Trufant, who is a difference maker like Lattimore, has been cleared from his concussion symptoms and should the Saints. But starting left guard Andy Levitre has a partially torn triceps and may not play.

"We have to turn the page fast to get to New Orleans," Quinn said. "We're right back into our division. It's all there for us, we know that."

The Falcons converted only 1-of-10 third downs against Minnesota, and many of them were long-yardage situations, which skewed the odds for success, Quinn said.

"My bigger question is how the (heck) did we get into third-and-12 and third-and-17 and third-and-13," Quinn said.

The Falcons swept the Saints last year, winning 45-32 in New Orleans and 38-32 at home.